Loftass History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Loftass name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the village of Lofthouse during the reign of King Alfred in 900 AD. This place-name was originally derived from the Old Norse words lopt meaning loft and hus meaning house. Therefore the original bearers of the Loftass surname were dwellers of the loft house. 1

Early Origins of the Loftass family

The surname Loftass was first found in North Yorkshire at Lofthouse, a small village in Nidderdale in the Harrogate district or at Lofthouse, a village in West Yorkshire. "This place, in the Domesday Survey Lochtushum, was granted by the Conqueror to Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, who soon afterwards transferred it to the Percy family, of whom William de Percy, the third Baron, in 1133 founded at Handall, in the parish, a priory for Benedictine nuns, which he dedicated to the Virgin Mary." 2

Early History of the Loftass family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Loftass research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1573, 1605, 1619, 1620, 1639, 1647, 1691, 1695 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Loftass History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Loftass Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Loftass has undergone many spelling variations, including Loftus, Lofthouse, Loftis, Loftiss, Loftos and others.

Early Notables of the Loftass family

Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Loftass Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Loftass family to Ireland

Some of the Loftass family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Loftass family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Loftass were among those contributors: John Loftis settled in Barbados in 1634; John Lofthouse arrived in Philadelphia in 1878; John Loftus arrived in Philadelphia in 1682; Biddy and Elen Loftus arrived in Quebec in 1848.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.